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Cliffhanger

That’s an autographed photo of Renny Harlin who directed Sly in Cliffhanger.

My pal, Alex surprised me with a package containing it and several other Stallone-related autographs that I’m going to post on the SZ over the coming weeks. Alex, as you’ve probably guessed is also known as LotofSly on the SZ message boardswhere he also serves as one of our moderators [and now has his own section Me &…]. Alex has met more celebrities than anyone else I know, and he somehow always manages to get photos with them. That’s in addition to being an all-around nice guy… and as nice as Alex is THAT has to be a full time job!

10. Cliffhanger: Is it cold in here, or is it just us? Forget New York and L.A., 1993′s Cliffhanger takes place in the Rocky Mountains! The film follows Sylvester Stallone as he battles the icy elements and a group of merciless thieves. Not only does Stallone do some impressive rock climbing but he does it in shorts and a tank top! Who cares if it’s 20 degrees below zero, he doesn’t have time to freeze.09. The Rock08. Hard to Kill07. Desperado06. Double Impact05. True Lies04. Con Air03. Bad Boys02. Speed01. Die Hard with a Vengeance

Renny Harlin: “[The studio] said to me, we want Sylvester Stallone to star in this movie. And I said, ‘no way.’ I don’t know who I was picturing for it, Kevin Costner or somebody, but they wanted him because they did ‘Rambo’ with him. This was at a point where he had just made ‘Oscar’ and ‘Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot,’ both disastrous comedies and his career was in the toilet. And I said, ‘no way, I don’t want him.’

Renny Harlin: “So I have a private lunch with him, and he tells me how badly he wants to play this part. And he says, ‘I know I screwed up making those comedies, and I know people find me laughable now. But I really want to prove something, I want to do something real, I want to make this film.’ And I said, ‘I can’t name one director who has come out of a movie with you looking good. You always take over, and no one remembers who the director was. And that’s not what I’m looking for, I want this to be my movie, I want to hire someone who does a great job and works with me.’ And he says, ‘That’s exactly what I want. I promise if I do this movie, I will do exactly what you want me to do.”

Renny Harlin: “We talked some more and I really took a liking to him. He was really smart, very charming. At the end of the lunch, I said, ‘Ok. If we have an understanding, I’m gonna tell you the first thing I’m gonna do. I’m gonna change the opening scene in the movie. Because in the opening scene, he’s a rescue worker, he’s very heroic. But if you’re playing the part, I want you to fail, and I want you to kill the girl.’ And he was like, ‘What?’ And I said, ‘I am gonna change the scene so that you fail, and you kill this girl in the opening scene.’ He took a deep breath and said, ‘Alright, you’re the director, if that’s what you want, let’s do it.’ I changed the whole opening scene so that he would fail.”

On January 31, 2011, Screenjunkies.com posted their list of The 10 Best Mountaineering Movies of All Time. Coming in at #1 was…

#1 “Cliffhanger” Sylvester Stallone is a professional mountaineer who ends his career after he drops an inexperienced climber off a climbing cable. But he’s back in business to protect the area from a bomb threat and save kidnapped victims at the same time.

On November 11, 2010, MMN.com posted a piece by Matt Hickman called: “Mountain Phew: 5 Pulse-Raising Movies that Involve Climbing Very Steep Hills.”“Cliffhanger” made the list at #3…

#3 “Cliffhanger” (1993) Sylvester Stallone saves the day when he foils a massive heist being carried out by a nefarious group of thieves — lead by John Lithgow, but of course — trying to get their hands on $100 million in uncirculated cash. Sound like a generic heist thriller? It kind of is. However, the film’s stunning, stunt-worthy, and Stallone-appropriate setting, the Rocky Mountains, made “Cliffhanger” a box office smash.

To see the classic “Cliffhanger” trailer as well as the other four choices, click here.

On April 30, 2010, the AMC Movie Blog posted their choices for The Five Best Movies of Sylvester Stallone. Here are their choices and a little of the rationale for selection:

5. Demolition Man: …Nothing about this movie should work — dated jokes about Taco Bell, a ridiculous time-travel setup — but it work it does, from start to finish. Credit Stallone’s amusing fish-out-of-water performance…

4. Cliffhanger: …Die Hard on a mountain, Cliffhanger is as cool as it sounds… Stallone reminds us why he’s one of the best action stars ever. He radiates intensity.

3. Copland: …Stallone turned his career around with this serious (and underappreciated) drama…

2. Rambo: No. We’re not talking about the original — that’s First Blood. We’re not even talking about Rambo: First Blood II, the sequel. While we love those both, this bare-bones, bloody action film ranks as one of the best flicks in years..

1. Rocky: Not just Stallone’s best but also one of Hollywood’s best…

If I were making the list Rocky Balboa would have been near the top forcing Demolition Man off the list. And while it may not be one of Sly’s Top 5 best, Get Carter still is one of my favorites. To see AMC’s whole post with all of their comments as well as some Stallone movies that nearly made it to the Top 5, then click here.